Small Wonders

Jordan Wright
August 2011
Special to Washingtonian Magazine

Solomons Island – A waterside village with hidden treasures.

Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center - Photo Credit Jordan Wright

Bronze sculpture at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center - Photo Credit Jordan Wright

The Scene

Where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay sits the village of Solomons Island.  The former shipbuilding community has a boardwalk and piers for strolling, antiques shops and art galleries, and bars and restaurants for every taste and a boutique winery to seal the deal.

What to See and Do

Butterflies flit merrily through the border gardens where art and nature coexist at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center.  Wend your way along sun-dappled paths to see dramatic bronze and steel sculptures – courtesy of a

Fairy house

Gnome house

partnership with the Smithsonian – displayed throughout the park’s lush 30 acres. A current exhibit, “Fairies in the Garden”, features artists’ fantasies of fairy and gnome houses nestled sweetly in the mossy hollows of trees. Inside the center there’s a small café and works by local artists.

For a day on the water, Bunky’s Charter Boats rents Carolina skiffs and offers fishing excursions; Sail Solomons has 22-foot Catalina capris.  Or go to the Patuxent Adventure Center for kayak, canoe and Stand Up Paddleboard rentals.

Where to Eat

Kim's Key Lime Pies - Photo Credit Jordan Wright

Kim’s Key Lime Pie has creative cuisine and sublime pies in a café-like ambience.  Across the road Stoney’s Seafood House, famous for its fresh fish and crab cakes, sits on Solomons Pier with beautiful views of the river.

Speed Dial

Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, 13480 Dowell Road, Dowell, MD; 410-326-4640.  Pet friendly and fully accessible. www.annmariegarden.org.

Bunky’s Charter Boats, 14448 Solomons Island Rd. S.; 410-326-3241 www.bunkyscharterboats.com. Sail Solomons Sailing School and Yacht Charters, 225 Alexander La.; 410-326-4917. www.sailsi.com Patuxent Adventure Center, 13860-C Solomons Island Rd.; 410-394-2770. www.paxadventure.com.

Kim’s Key Lime Pie, 14618 Solomons Island Road S., Solomons Island, MD, 410-326-8469. Stoney’s Seafood House, 1442 Solomons Island Road S., Solomons Island, MD, 410-326-2424